Comments and opinion from plots, engineers and others is raising the most disturbing concern about air safety. In the linked CBC story, airline consultant Keith Mackey says simply that Boeing “forget to tell pilots” about software that altered the flying characteristics of the 737 Max 8 and 9  As publicised earlier, the Max models included a modification to engine pods and landing gear to make the plane more fuel efficient. But those changes also changed the aircraft’s centre of gravity. That made the nose of the 737 Max tip too far upward during ascent, risking a stall. New software was designed to automatically bring the nose of the aircraft down. Such an override response it seems might cause a pilot to become confused and struggle with the software. This appalling scenario seems incredible and yet it is what some people are saying about the cause of the two crashes.

The end of the week is bringing some serious thawing to road blockages made of ice and hardened snow. It will be 9º C Thursday and 8º C Friday. With the thaw comes concern about flooding. Parents are again warned about keeping children clear of waterways. It may be difficult driving on the Bayview extension in coming days. And there is the annual cleanup.

A Leaside resident who originates from Venezuela has begun solicitation and collection of simple consumer goods which she intends to ship to the beleaguered country this weekend. The responses and timing may be seen here, 

Brian Thompson ‏ @EXPbthompson

Brian Thompson ‏ @EXPbthompson

A homeowner in Brantford found this in his backyard Tuesday morning. OPP say driver of a transport truck blasted through the sound and privacy barrier on Highway 403 to wreak havoc in the little green space. They say the flatbed truck was carrying a car travelling in the westbound lanes of the highway when it had “a mechanical problem.” For sure.

Dash-cam video reveals a close call near Buttonville airport Tuesday as a small lane narrowly misses the vehicle with the cam. This was on 16th Ave, near Highway 404 just before 2 p.m. The plane carried an instructor and woman student. Both escaped injury.

Many are wondering what the rest of the world knew that Marc Garneau did not when he insistnetly said Canada would not ground the Boeing 737 Max 8. That was yesterday. Now we have “new information” which is not revealed and the aircraft is grounded here. “There are – and I hasten to say not conclusive – but there are similarities” between the Ethiopian Airlines flight profile and that of a Lion Air flight involving the same aircraft that crashed off the Indonesian coast in October, the minister said. Those similarities, he said, “exceed a certain threshold in our minds with respect to the possible cause of what happened in Ethiopia. This is not conclusive, but it is something that points possibly in that direction, and at this point we feel that threshold has been crossed.” The “safety notice” means none of the aircraft – or a new version, the Max 9, which isn’t as widely used – can fly into, out of, or over Canada, he added: “I will not hesitate to take swift action should we discover any additional safety issues.”

Children are seen being carried out of a collapsed building in Lagos, Nigeria Wednesday. Their bodies were limp after having been found under bricks and other rubble. Fearful scenes were captured in this video which moved on Euronews at mid-morning Toronto time.

Dial-up, plug-in, wi-fi, Netscape, Windows, Yahoo, Google and a million other names and concepts have flooded the world since the creation of the World Wide Web in the early 90s. Most people became aware of the such communication only over time. They say 1994 was the net’s first big year. Before that, it was easy to find lots of people who had never heard of it. The concept and its early parts are said be 30 years old this month. Companies celebrate The Internet’s 30th birthday by sharing their retro origins

Sunwing Airlines says it is “temporarily” suspending flights of its four Boeing 737 Max 8 planes. CBC

• Don’t want to fly on the Boeing 737 Max 8? Here are your options
• Black box from fatal Ethiopian Airlines crash heading to Europe for analysis 

Head-on on Sewell’s Rd.

Four people were hurt in a head-on tangle of two cars at Sewells Rd and Steeles Ave. before dawn Wednesday. Three men in their 50s have been taken to hospital in serious condition and a woman, 53, was airlifted to Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre with potentially life-threatening injuries, Toronto paramedics confirm. Twitter

HOUSE FIRE

And fire has destroyed an abandoned home near Jane St. and Teston rd. in York Region overnight.

Full House star Lori Loughlin and Golden Globe winner Felicity Huffman are among 46 wealthy US parents charged with mail fraud in an elaborate series of schemes to get their kids into prestigious schools by dodging admission standards. There were reportedly huge payoffs as well as fraudulent test results created by the man running the scheme. According to the New York Post some parents allowed their kids to pose as student-athletes to get into places like Georgetown, Stanford, Wake Forest University, UCLA and Yale.